Andrea & Chris, Love and fun times at an Ivy League Wedding in Ithaca New York

This was a fun wedding! Andrea, Chris and I have been emailing back and forth for a long time now but I actually just met them a few weeks ago for their engagement session. Andrea’s mom and sister came into town too so I have able to meet them as well. It was great to spend a couple hours with everyone and get to know each other. Plus it was exciting knowing we would be together again in less than a month for their wedding. Of course that month flew by and it seemed like it was just yesterday when we rejoined for the big day.

As time goes by it seems like I do more and more weddings away from home. I am traveling quite a bit this year but this wedding was the first of two in a row that were actually back in Ithaca. When I first started out I shot a lot in Ithaca and there are several vendors that I am quite fond of. It is always a pleasure to shoot at the Statler Hotel on the Cornell Campus, and it is a special treat to work with Melissa Hill, Nicole Boosembark, and their incredible staff. They are always so friendly and accommodating, and go out of their way to make sure everyone has a wonderful time. I have been to a lot of venues now and this crew is still one of the best in the business. Another huge favorite of mine is my man and DJ’s extraordinaire Nicky Wood and Jeannette. Nicky and I have done a lot of weddings together now and I can say for sure that it is comforting to me when I know he will be there. Andrea and Chris also choose my all time favorite officiate, the one and only Rev. Janet Shortall. I have said it before, and I will say it again, nobody does it better.  It was also great to meet the extremely friendly and helpful Janelle Hanson. I must say that Sage Chapel has never been in better hands.

There were a bunch of other factors that helped to make this the fantastic wedding it was. Andrea wore a spectacular Vera Wang dress that flowed with her every move. It was fun to watch her on the dance floor with it. My good friend George Cannon came along to shoot the early part of the day and was a big help. George is a super terrific guy and it was special for me to work together with him again. We are shooting another wedding in a couple of weeks, and I am looking forward to it. Nathan Baker from Finger Lakes Entertainment did a fabulous job with perimeter up lighting. The room looked wonderful and I thought his lighting worked well to compliment my photographs. It is definitely an investment worth looking into if you want quality images from your reception. Don and Melissa Bazley from Cascade Video were a pleasure to work with and seemed to do a great job. The flowers by Michaleen’s were beautiful as always, and the cake was an incredible, edible chocolate. I was kind of surprised to see a dark brown cake (it was definitely different to photograph) but even more surprised when the sweet aroma it was giving off practically intoxicated me while I was photographing it. I think it may have been the first time I actually smelled the cake while I shot it, and I tip my hat to Ithaca Bakery for doing such a tremendous job.

Thanks so much Andrea, Chris, your families, and friends for welcoming me with open arms and for providing such a pleasurable experience. I wish you much love and happiness now and always. A big thank you to everyone I mentioned above as well for being so great to work with.